Shared bikes reach Lhasa

LHASA - Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region in Southwest China, has become the second city in the plateau region with shared bikes.

Ofo announced on Wednesday that the city is the 100th location sporting a herd of bright yellow bikes, with the first batch of 2,000 already in use.

"The bikes were first placed near the Potala Place and gradually spread to the entire city," said Lyu Shuang, regional manager of ofo in Tibet. He added that the number of bikes in Lhasa will grow to 10,000 by the end of this year.

The shared bikes were welcomed by local citizens. Benba Norbu, a young man, told Xinhua that he had used shared bikes before in Beijing. "If it is as convenient as the service in Beijing, I will definitely use it," he said.

Tang Ling is a tourist from neighboring Sichuan province. "There are so many tourist attractions in Lhasa, and it is fun to see the city on bike," she said.

Last month Xigaze became the first Tibetan city with shared bikes, when 500 appeared in the city. The number will increase to 2,000 later this year.

Backed by two-digit economic growth for over 20 years, car sales in Tibet have been booming. The underpopulated region now has 300,000 vehicles, half of them in Lhasa, leading to traffic congestion and parking problems in downtown Lhasa.

The bike service provides a more efficient and environment-friendly way of getting about.